Changing Season
by RoseMuse
Summary: Temari and Shikamaru await the winter months in the Leaf - a little inspired by recent manga events. Just cheesy, domestic fluff. In two parts.
1. Part 1

_Purely self-indulgent fic, haha. Because it's rainy and sleepy and I wanted domestic family fluff. Just a quick two-parter!_

* * *

Rain drummed quietly on the roof. The room was illuminated only by a small, low lamp in the corner, sending shadows out across the tatami.

Unusually, Shikamaru didn't feel much like sleeping. He'd decided that simply lying there for the moment was fine enough.

Temari curled close to him, warm, beneath the blankets they shared on the futon. Her breathing soft and even in slumber.

He'd never felt quite so… safe. Was the word he settled on.

The roundness of her stomach pressed against his own and he smiled a bit. She'd just taken several months leave and was certainly _not_ happy about it; most of her duties now consisted of paperwork. And any trips to the Sand, particularly during this season, took five or six days as compared to the usual three.

But they'd agreed on it long ago. And she was just as equally happy and thrilled. (Her brothers had been delighted.) Without so much of the stress of work, she seemed much calmer. (And much more _affectionate_. Which he supposed he didn't really mind at all.)

She would return to her duties again in another year or so. (And, thankfully, his mother had offered to help. However, he did still shudder a bit over her reaction upon finding out a grandchild was on the way.)

Finally being off of (what had been fairly easy) missions for a full three weeks, Shikamaru had come home to a sleepy village in the midst of the autumn rainy season. With so little to do that even the energetic Naruto kept falling asleep at his desk.

The Chuunin Exams were far off, the fields had been harvested and people began preparing and bundling up for the oncoming winter. His mother and Ino's bustling around with dried persimmons and herbs.

Streets filled with the scent of wood smoke. Red and gold trees rambled out from the foothills of the mountains and, on quiet mornings or evenings, you could faintly hear the deer calling from the cold forest…

Pulling the blankets closer, he reached up to gently brush her hair from her face.

_I wish that things could stay like this forever._

It took him a moment to realize he'd said that out loud.

Temari's eyelids fluttered open and the corners of her lips turned up in a tiny smirk.

"I heard that."

She kissed his nose, and then their lips met. And he was pretty certain he'd never been happier in his life.


	2. Part 2

_[Edited a bit to match the manga.]_

* * *

Temari had never spent such a long time away from the Sand, prior to this.

The snow in the Leaf Village was light - and always melted quickly. But she didn't think she'd ever grow very accustomed to it. (And she intensely looked forward to spending the next winter in her home village again.)

Yoshino had greeted Temari's brothers at the door. She still wasn't used to the _Kazekage of the Sand _occasionally dropping by her own home. And she'd rushed around in a slightly flustered panic, attempting to covertly clean up the house while brewing tea to go with the mochi Gaara and Kankuro had brought.

(Temari had to politely hold back a snort of laughter over that.)

Once they'd hung up their cloaks and scarves in the hall, Kankuro surprised Temari with a quick hug, and Gaara with one of his fleeting smiles. And it hit her just how much she'd missed her brothers over the past several months.

"Don't get all mushy on me." She said instead with a sniff, ignoring the lump in her throat. "Anyway. I thought you wouldn't be visiting until the spring! What are you both doing here today?"

"I had a meeting with the Hokage over some trade and tariff changes. Kankuro thought it would be a good idea to stop by after that and visit, so he came along, too." Gaara explained.

"So, where's the lazy ass?" Kankuro asked under his breath. Temari shushed him with a laugh as Yoshino entered the hallway again.

"You go on ahead." Yoshino called out to them, "I'll have the tea ready in a little while."

"Shikamaru's been napping." Temari told them as they followed her to the main room. "He claims the cold weather makes him feel sleepier, although we _have_ been pretty busy lately."

The lazy ass in question was more or less buried beneath the blanket of a kotatsu, his arm curled around a tiny, bundled infant.

The baby had already awoken and began to fuss, but Temari scooped him up and he immediately quieted.

She cleared her throat, nudging her husband awake with her foot, "Hey, we have visitors. Are you going to lie there all day and catch a cold or try to at least be a little sociable?"

Shikamaru sighed. He sat up and lazily viewed the scene through bleary eyes. "Ah." Was all he said.

They sat upon the tatami and Kankuro reached out eagerly, "Can I hold him?"

"Here." Temari grinned at seeing him so excited, shifting the baby over into his arms, "Be careful, though!"

The two brothers looked slightly mesmerized at seeing the small human being.

"How old is Shikadai now?" Gaara asked after a moment.

"Two weeks. Although it feels a little longer." Temari said, "Yoshino says he's a lot like Shikamaru - they both cried an awful lot and slept lots."

Kankuro and Temari laughed loudly. (Although Shikamaru didn't look terribly amused.) They quieted down more, however, when Shikadai gurgled unhappily.

"May… may I?" Gaara asked Kankuro, who gingerly deposited the baby into his arms. He looked a bit nervous, but his face broke into another smile when tiny fingers curled around his own. "He's beautiful."

"Yeah." Temari said proudly, although she felt that annoying lump rising in her throat again. She suddenly felt a warmth at her side - Shikamaru had left the kotatsu, scooting closer to lean lightly against her.

"Definitely." Shikamaru agreed.


End file.
